PARKING LOT DISCIPLESHIP
By Megan Clark
We were running a tad late for church Sunday morning , the story of our lives .
Three little guys to feed , dress , and keep clean while haphazardly throwing ourselves into some sort of appropriate church attire typically results in tardiness .
But this Sunday wasn ’ t too bad , and we were in the parking lot with a few minutes to spare , hurrying handsome little guys through rows of parked cars .
Then we faced a row of cars whose drivers must have had a secret pact to park as close to the lines as possible creating odd and narrow passageways . So we changed up our hand-holding and wove through single file .
And then Harrison commented , “ This is so narrow ! Which way is the narrow way again ? God ’ s or Satan ’ s ?” And so , right there in the church parking lot , a discipleship opportunity took root in a perfect visual aid .
Matt showed the boys how it wasn ’ t very easy to squeeze through the narrow cars without bumping into or tripping , etc . Then he took them through a wide-open space without cars parked nearby . They quickly realized they could skip through the wide-open space without any help or guidance .
“ Why is God ’ s way harder ?” Harrison asked .
Matt explained that though the way to destruction is wide , easy to get on , and easy to stay on , God ’ s way leads to eternal life . While His way is narrow and sometimes hard , God gives us the strength we need to stay on it and grow in Him . He also tells us to gather others to walk with us and navigate the narrow passages together , knowing that life , not destruction , is ahead .
God gives rich opportunities to disciple our children every day . Life sometimes gets busy with schedules , appointments , errands , and deadlines , and we fail to recognize the gifted moments to grow our children . It ’ s worth it to be a little late sometimes , even to church , if a row of parked cars suddenly presents itself to invest in the soul of the gift God gave you to steward . ■
Megan Clark is a homeschooling mom to four boys and a girl , who keep her pediatric nursing skills sharp . She is married to Matthew Clark , an attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice . Living in Washington D . C . has given their family daily opportunities to explore and learn . Between hiking , running , baking , making messes , photography , and blogging , Megan and Matthew keep Christ the head of their household as they grow alongside their children in becoming more like Jesus .
18 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW